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Tower of Fear
The Tower of Fear stood as a testiment to both the courage and strength of the Crab, as they could face it every day and not flinch from their duty, and as a constant reminder of failure, for it was their own fallen champion that called corruption upon it. The taint twisted the original Fifth Tower into an unbreakable source of constant corruption. Loss of the Wall Before Daigotsu led his forces against Otosan Uchi, he ensured that the greatest threat to him, the Crab Clan, would be otherwise occupied. In 1159 assaulted on both sides by the Shadowlands and Tsuno forces, half of the Carpenter Wall was siezed. It was during this fighting, that Crab Clan Champion Hida Kuroda was killed, setting off a trap to destroy Kyofu, the Onisu of Fear. Precursor to Fear Returning from the war against the Crane Clan, Hida Kuon, now the Crab Champion, rallied his troops, and began to reclaim the lost towers. They took four towers on one side, and with a surprise attack from the south, aided by the Unicorn Clan Baraunghar army, commanded by Iuchi Lixue, they took the sixth tower. They had one left to take, one where they surrounded the Horde on all sides, yet here was where the Horde had prepared. The Fifth Tower They arrived as the sun begun to breach the horizon. The Crab shugenja summoned forth their allies in Tengoku: Hida, Yakamo, Kisada, and Osano-Wo. Jade rain fell from the skies, strengthening the Crab, and striking down the Horde. But when they reached the Tower itself, Fear awaited. Kuroda merged with the Onisu Kyofu called forth the Horde's ally; as Fu Leng continued his War in Heaven, he blacked out the skies over the Wall, and cursed the tower itself, suffusing it with raw Taint in the Battle for the Last Tower. Brotherhood, by Rich Wulf Aftermath The Crab carried the day, but a lasting wound was left, and wholly corrupted watchtower, spreading Taint in the land about it and unconquered. Clan Letter to the Crab #20 (Imperial Herald v2 #5) There was only one thing they could do, tear down the nearby sections of wall, and build a new Tower further back. Thus the Tower of Fear was born. Clan Letter to the Crab #21 (Imperial Herald v2 #6) A New Wall (Promotional flavor) The Tower Outside the Tower The power of the Taint ingrained into its very being, the Tower often seemed to defy reality. The very air about it was misty, making it hard to see even on a clear day. Where the stone was cut away from the Wall, the Tower seemed to be healing, and every so often onlookers could swear that it was breathing in the foul air about it. The stone of the exterior had become a glossy black, looking like it was carved from pure obsidian, though a mold had begun growing over it, reducing the shine it would otherwise have. Finally, the very essence of Fear was rich around the Tower, stopping all but the bravest and most courageous souls from approaching it. From the Bottom, Up Inside it became appearant that the Tower was more than just Tainted, it was sentient. Once it grew bored with intruders, it would often shift and became unstable, attempting to either frightened those fool enough to challenge it, or to throw them from the Tower to plummet to the ground. Survivors that continued on have to be cautious, as the tunnels that once were the lifeblood of the Wall, allowing runners to move quickly to other parts of the Wall, safe behind thick stones, were now a deep, all-consuming black, with scant light visible through at the other end. Any manner of demons could be hiding in the shadows. In the higher levels, the War Room was left littered with body parts, and often used by the inhabitants to plan attacks on the nearby Wall. On the Ramparts Here waited the two future threats to the Wall, the Zenmensonsou. There beasts were the spawn of the living cannons carried aboard Garen's corrupted fleet. They were yet young, but when they mature, they would be able to rain showers of acidic bile down upon the Wall itself, with little worry of the Crab having the firepower to match. The Nairu no Oni nested in the ramparts, hungry for a meal of slow Crab bushi. Nairu no Oni (Heaven and Earth flavor) Inhabitants After centuries of slaughter at the Wall, combined with the potent power of the Taint, the boundries of the Spirit Realms were weak, and often malevolent beings from Toshigoku cross over here. Lost also often lived here, giving a tough challenge to any who could overcome the sheer terror and fear of the structure itself. Other demons and all manner of beasts could be found as well, readied to show any Rokugani the true blessings of Jigoku. Destroyed and Cleansed In 1170 Kuni Daigo, the Jade Champion, laid a massive siege to the Tower of Fear with the Jade Legion. During this siege he took a piece of incorruptible jade left by Hida Yakamo and used it to permanently purify the Tower of Fear. Preparations, Part II, by Lucas Twyman, Nancy Sauer, Brian Yoon, and Fred Wan Daigo used the piece once was the Jade Hand to cleanse the previously unredeemable ground. This piece must remain forever in the earth outside the Kaiu Wall, or the Tower would begin to regrow where it once stood. Vacant Throne, p. 118 * Secrets of the Crab Pages 85-90. Category:Crab Clan Category:Shadowlands Holdings